Hartford Fire Damages House, Injures Firefighter

A dog was rescued from a fire that injured a firefighter and seriously damaged a Hartford house.

HARTFORD — A dog was rescued from a fire that injured a firefighter and seriously damaged a house on Westbourne Parkway early Friday, a fire official said.

The fire was reported about 2:30 a.m., said Capt. Helene Lynch. Four people and a dog were able to get out of the house on their own, and firefighters rescued the second pet, she said. The family — a father and his son and daughter — is staying with relatives. The frouth person was an overnight guest.

The fire started in the basement and spread inside the walls of the house, which lacks fire stops, Lynch said. It appears to be accidental; investigators are focusing on a basement furnace as a possible cause, she said.

It took "at least a couple of hours" to get the fire under control, Lynch said.

"It was a stubborn fire," she said. "They chased it."

A firefighter was injured when his foot went through the floor, she said. The injury was minor.